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Wang R, Bai B, Li D, Wang J, Huang W, Wu Y, Zhao L. Phytoplasma: A plant pathogen that cannot be ignored in agricultural production-Research progress and outlook. MOLECULAR PLANT PATHOLOGY 2024; 25:e13437. [PMID: 38393681 PMCID: PMC10887288 DOI: 10.1111/mpp.13437] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/25/2024]
Abstract
Phytoplasmas are phloem-restricted plant-pathogenic bacteria transmitted by insects. They cause diseases in a wide range of host plants, resulting in significant economic and ecological losses worldwide. Research on phytoplasmas has a long history, with significant progress being made in the past 30 years. Notably, with the rapid development of phytoplasma research, scientists have identified the primary agents involved in phytoplasma transmission, established classification and detection systems for phytoplasmas, and 243 genomes have been sequenced and assembled completely or to draft quality. Multiple possible phytoplasma effectors have been investigated, elucidating the molecular mechanisms by which phytoplasmas manipulate their hosts. This review summarizes recent advances in phytoplasma research, including identification techniques, host range studies, whole- or draft-genome sequencing, effector pathogenesis and disease control methods. Additionally, future research directions in the field of phytoplasma research are discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ruotong Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Resistance and High‐Efficiency ProductionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Northwestern Loess Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Plant ProtectionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
- Key Laboratory of Plant Protection Resources and Pest Management, Ministry of Education, College of Plant ProtectionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
| | - Bixin Bai
- State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Resistance and High‐Efficiency ProductionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Northwestern Loess Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Plant ProtectionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
- Key Laboratory of Plant Protection Resources and Pest Management, Ministry of Education, College of Plant ProtectionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
| | - Danyang Li
- State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Resistance and High‐Efficiency ProductionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Northwestern Loess Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Plant ProtectionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
- Key Laboratory of Plant Protection Resources and Pest Management, Ministry of Education, College of Plant ProtectionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
| | - Jingke Wang
- State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Resistance and High‐Efficiency ProductionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Northwestern Loess Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Plant ProtectionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
- Key Laboratory of Plant Protection Resources and Pest Management, Ministry of Education, College of Plant ProtectionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
| | - Weijie Huang
- Key Laboratory of Insect Developmental and Evolutionary Biology, CAS Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences, Shanghai Institute of Plant Physiology and EcologyChinese Academy of SciencesShanghaiChina
| | - Yunfeng Wu
- State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Resistance and High‐Efficiency ProductionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Northwestern Loess Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Plant ProtectionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
- Key Laboratory of Plant Protection Resources and Pest Management, Ministry of Education, College of Plant ProtectionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
| | - Lei Zhao
- State Key Laboratory for Crop Stress Resistance and High‐Efficiency ProductionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
- Key Laboratory of Integrated Pest Management on Crops in Northwestern Loess Plateau, Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Affairs, College of Plant ProtectionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
- Key Laboratory of Plant Protection Resources and Pest Management, Ministry of Education, College of Plant ProtectionNorthwest A&F UniversityYanglingShaanxiChina
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Rodrigues Jardim B, Tran-Nguyen LTT, Gambley C, Al-Sadi AM, Al-Subhi AM, Foissac X, Salar P, Cai H, Yang JY, Davis R, Jones L, Rodoni B, Constable FE. The observation of taxonomic boundaries for the 16SrII and 16SrXXV phytoplasmas using genome-based delimitation. Int J Syst Evol Microbiol 2023; 73. [PMID: 37486824 DOI: 10.1099/ijsem.0.005977] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Within the 16SrII phytoplasma group, subgroups A-X have been classified based on restriction fragment length polymorphism of their 16S rRNA gene, and two species have been described, namely 'Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia' and 'Ca. Phytoplasma australasia'. Strains of 16SrII phytoplasmas are detected across a broad geographic range within Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe and North and South America. Historically, all members of the 16SrII group share ≥97.5 % nucleotide sequence identity of their 16S rRNA gene. In this study, we used whole genome sequences to identify the species boundaries within the 16SrII group. Whole genome analyses were done using 42 phytoplasma strains classified into seven 16SrII subgroups, five 16SrII taxa without official 16Sr subgroup classifications, and one 16SrXXV-A phytoplasma strain used as an outgroup taxon. Based on phylogenomic analyses as well as whole genome average nucleotide and average amino acid identity (ANI and AAI), eight distinct 16SrII taxa equivalent to species were identified, six of which are novel descriptions. Strains within the same species had ANI and AAI values of >97 %, and shared ≥80 % of their genomic segments based on the ANI analysis. Species also had distinct biological and/or ecological features. A 16SrII subgroup often represented a distinct species, e.g., the 16SrII-B subgroup members. Members classified within the 16SrII-A, 16SrII-D, and 16SrII-V subgroups as well as strains classified as sweet potato little leaf phytoplasmas fulfilled criteria to be included as members of a single species, but with subspecies-level relationships with each other. The 16SrXXV-A taxon was also described as a novel phytoplasma species and, based on criteria used for other bacterial families, provided evidence that it could be classified as a distinct genus from the 16SrII phytoplasmas. As more phytoplasma genome sequences become available, the classification system of these bacteria can be further refined at the genus, species, and subspecies taxonomic ranks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bianca Rodrigues Jardim
- School of Applied Systems Biology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
- Agriculture Victoria Research, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, AgriBio, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Cherie Gambley
- Horticulture and Forestry Science, Department of Agriculture and Fisheries Maroochy Research Facility, Nambour, Queensland, Australia
| | - Abdullah M Al-Sadi
- Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman
| | - Ali M Al-Subhi
- Department of Plant Sciences, College of Agricultural and Marine Sciences, Sultan Qaboos University, Muscat, Oman
| | - Xavier Foissac
- University of Bordeaux, INRAE, Biologie du Fruit et Pathologie, UMR 1332, 33140, Bordeaux, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Pascal Salar
- University of Bordeaux, INRAE, Biologie du Fruit et Pathologie, UMR 1332, 33140, Bordeaux, Villenave d'Ornon, France
| | - Hong Cai
- The Key Laboratory for Plant Pathology, Yunnan Agricultural University, Kunming 650201, PR China
| | - Jun-Yi Yang
- Institute of Biochemistry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan, ROC
- Advanced Plant Biotechnology Center, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan, ROC
| | - Richard Davis
- Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Lynne Jones
- Northern Australia Quarantine Strategy, Department of Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory 2601, Australia
| | - Brendan Rodoni
- School of Applied Systems Biology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
- Agriculture Victoria Research, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, AgriBio, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
| | - Fiona E Constable
- School of Applied Systems Biology, La Trobe University, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
- Agriculture Victoria Research, Department of Energy, Environment and Climate Action, AgriBio, Bundoora, Victoria, Australia
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Mejia HM, Liao PQ, Chen YK, Lee YC, Tan CM, Chiu YC, Yang JY. Detection, Identification, and Molecular Characterization of the 16SrII-V Subgroup Phytoplasma Strain Associated with Digera muricata in Taiwan. PLANT DISEASE 2022; 106:1788-1792. [PMID: 35072504 DOI: 10.1094/pdis-12-21-2647-sc] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Digera muricata (L.) Mart. is a pantropical annual herb belonging to the Amaranthaceae family. In August 2021, D. muricata with indicative phytoplasma symptoms of phyllody, witches'-broom, and virescence was discovered adjacent to a peanut field in Mailiao, Yunlin, Taiwan. The causal agent of the observed symptoms was detected and identified by a series of molecular characterizations. Sieve elements of the phloem tissue were perused under the transmission electron microscope and revealed the presence of pleomorphic phytoplasma-like organisms. Nested PCR using phytoplasma universal primer pairs P1/P7 and R16F2n/R16R2 was able to amplify a 1.2-kb DNA fragment for the 16S rRNA gene only from the symptomatic D. muricata. The 16S rRNA-based phylogenetic analysis and the iPhyClassifier-based virtual RFLP further affirmed that the phytoplasma associated with the diseased D. muricata can be classified into the 16SrII-V subgroup. Moreover, displayed evident symptoms were explained by the concomitant detection of PHYL1 and SAP11, the virulence genes responsible for the development of leaf-like flowers and shoot proliferation, respectively. Although phytoplasma infection on the noncrop species does not have a direct economic impact, its role in disease spread and perpetuation is indubitable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Helen Mae Mejia
- Institute of Biochemistry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
| | - Pei-Qing Liao
- Institute of Biochemistry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
| | - Yuh-Kun Chen
- Department of Plant Pathology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
| | - Ya-Chien Lee
- Institute of Biochemistry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
| | - Choon Meng Tan
- Institute of Biochemistry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Ching Chiu
- Institute of Biochemistry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
- Doctoral Program in Microbial Genomics, National Chung Hsing University and Academia Sinica, Taichung 402, Taiwan
| | - Jun-Yi Yang
- Institute of Biochemistry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
- Doctoral Program in Microbial Genomics, National Chung Hsing University and Academia Sinica, Taichung 402, Taiwan
- Institute of Biotechnology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
- Advanced Plant Biotechnology Center, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
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Liao PQ, Chiu YC, Mejia HM, Tan CM, Chen YK, Yang JY. First Report of ' Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia' Associated with the Invasive Weed Eclipta prostrata (L.) in Taiwan. PLANT DISEASE 2022; 107:550. [PMID: 35442051 DOI: 10.1094/pdis-03-22-0504-pdn] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/14/2023]
Abstract
Eclipta prostrata (L.), commonly known as false daisy of the family Asteraceae, is an erect or prostrate annual herb that grows 5 to 45 cm tall. It is widespread mainly in tropical and subtropical regions like India, China, Taiwan, Thailand, and Brazil (Chung et al., 2017). E. prostrata has very wide medicinal properties accounted by several phytochemicals like thiophene derivatives, steroids, flavonoids, and polypeptides (Feng et. al., 2019). It is also used as a traditional herbal medicine for the treatment of bleeding, hemoptysis and itching, hepatitis diarrhea, and even hair loss (Timalsina et al., 2021). In September 2021, E. prostrata displaying branch proliferation and phyllody symptoms with about 30% (6 were symptomatic and 14 were healthy) incidence rate was observed in Mailiao, Yunlin, Taiwan where phytoplasma disease is permeating and has affected many crops and non-crop species including peanut, mungbean, curl-leaved tobacco, false amaranth, etc. Compared to healthy E. prostrata bearing white ray florets and cream or dull white disk florets, symptomatic ones developed phyllody which is more pronounced on the severely infected ones. Further examination by transmission electron microscope revealed a pleomorphic (circular, elliptical, and bell-shaped) phytoplasma-like organisms accumulated in the sieve elements of the symptomatic leaves. Phytoplasma infection was further confirmed by nested polymerase chain reaction using universal primers P1/P7 (carried out for 12 cycles), followed by R16F2n/R16R2 (carried out for 35 cycles) on the genomic DNA extracted by Plant Genomic DNA Purification Kit (DP022-150, GeneMark) (Lee et al. 1993). Results revealed that the conserved 16S rRNA gene with a 1.2 kb fragment size was amplified only by the symptomatic samples. Furthermore, western blotting was done using the polyclonal antibody raised against the immunodominant membrane protein (Imp) of peanut witches'-broom (PnWB) phytoplasma, a 'Candidatus Phytoplasma aurantifolia' in Taiwan that belongs group to 16SrII (Chen et al. 2021). Consistent with the nested PCR, only the symptomatic samples revealed a specific Imp signal with a size of 19 kDa. To classify the phytoplasma associated with the symptomatic E. prostrata, the DNA sequence (No. OM397418) of the P1/P7 primer pair-amplified DNA fragment was obtained using P1 and a nested primer (5'-GGGTCTTTACTGACGCTGAGG-3'), which shares 100% identity with that of GenBank accession NZ_AMWZ01000008 (complement [31109 to 32640]) of PnWB phytoplasma. Further analysis of the virtual RFLP pattern of OM397418 by iPhyClassifier confirmed that the phytoplasma identified in the symptomatic E. prostrata belongs 16SrII-V subgroup. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report of phytoplasma disease in E. prostrata associated with the 'Ca. P. aurantifolia' in Taiwan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pei-Qing Liao
- Institute of Biochemistry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan;
| | - Yi-Ching Chiu
- Graduate Institute of Biochemistry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan;
| | - Helen Mae Mejia
- Institute of Biochemistry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan;
| | - Choon-Meng Tan
- Institute of Biochemistry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan;
| | - Yuh-Kun Chen
- National Chung Hsing University, Department of Plant Pathology, 250 KuoKuang Road, Taichung, Taiwan, Taiwan, 402;
| | - Jun-Yi Yang
- Institute of Biochemistry, National Chung Hsing University, 145 Xingda Rd., Taichung, Taiwan, 40227
- United States;
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Liao PQ, Chen YK, Mejia HM, Chien YY, Lee YC, Tan CM, Chiu YC, Yang JY. Detection, Identification, and Molecular Characterization of a 16SrII-V Subgroup Phytoplasma Associated with Nicotiana plumbaginifolia. PLANT DISEASE 2022; 106:805-809. [PMID: 34763517 DOI: 10.1094/pdis-09-21-1968-sc] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Nicotiana plumbaginifolia Viviani, commonly known as curl-leaved tobacco, is an annual herbaceous plant belonging to Solanaceae family. This plant is native to Mexico, South America, and parts of the Caribbean and has been reported to be present in Taiwan since 2006. In March 2021, N. plumbaginifolia Viviani, found in Yunlin County, Taiwan, was observed to have phyllody, virescence, and witches'-broom, which is consistent with the disease symptoms caused by phytoplasma infection. Samples of the healthy and symptomatic plants were collected for analysis of the causal agent associated with the diseased N. plumbaginifolia Viviani. Under transmission electron microscopy, the phytoplasma-like pleomorphic bodies were found in the sieve tubes of the diseased plants. The 16S ribosomal RNA (rRNA)-based phylogenetic analysis and the iPhyClassifier-based virtual restriction fragment length polymorphism study demonstrated that the phytoplasma identified in this study can be classified into the 16SrII-V subgroup, which is similar to the peanut witches'-broom phytoplasma, a 'Candidatus phytoplasma aurantifolia'-related strain. Further identification of SAP54/PHYL1 and SAP11 homologs in the phytoplasma explain the disease symptoms of phyllody, virescence, and witches'-broom observed in diseased N. plumbaginifolia Viviani. The discovery of new phytoplasma plant hosts has gained scientific importance in light of the attempt to unravel an efficient strategy to fight the rapid spread of this disease, which poses a threat to the agricultural sector and food security in Taiwan.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pei-Qing Liao
- Institute of Biochemistry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
| | - Yuh-Kun Chen
- Department of Plant Pathology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
| | - Helen Mae Mejia
- Institute of Biochemistry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
| | - Yuan-Yu Chien
- Institute of Biochemistry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
| | - Ya-Chien Lee
- Institute of Biochemistry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
| | - Choon-Meng Tan
- Institute of Biochemistry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Ching Chiu
- Institute of Biochemistry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
- Ph.D. Program in Microbial Genomics, National Chung Hsing University and Academia Sinica, Taichung 402, Taiwan
| | - Jun-Yi Yang
- Institute of Biochemistry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
- Ph.D. Program in Microbial Genomics, National Chung Hsing University and Academia Sinica, Taichung 402, Taiwan
- Institute of Biotechnology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
- Advanced Plant Biotechnology Center, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung 402, Taiwan
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Tan CM, Lin YC, Li JR, Chien YY, Wang CJ, Chou L, Wang CW, Chiu YC, Kuo CH, Yang JY. Accelerating Complete Phytoplasma Genome Assembly by Immunoprecipitation-Based Enrichment and MinION-Based DNA Sequencing for Comparative Analyses. Front Microbiol 2021; 12:766221. [PMID: 34858377 PMCID: PMC8632452 DOI: 10.3389/fmicb.2021.766221] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Phytoplasmas are uncultivated plant-pathogenic bacteria with agricultural importance. Those belonging to the 16SrII group, represented by 'Candidatus P. aurantifolia', have a wide range of plant hosts and cause significant yield losses in valuable crops, such as pear, sweet potato, peanut, and soybean. In this study, a method that combines immunoprecipitation-based enrichment and MinION long-read DNA sequencing was developed to solve the challenge of phytoplasma genome studies. This approach produced long reads with high mapping rates and high genomic coverage that can be combined with Illumina reads to produce complete genome assemblies with high accuracy. We applied this method to strain NCHU2014 and determined its complete genome sequence, which consists of one circular chromosome with 635,584 bp and one plasmid with 4,224 bp. Although 'Ca. P. aurantifolia' NCHU2014 has a small chromosome with only 471 protein-coding genes, it contains 33 transporter genes and 27 putative effector genes, which may contribute to obtaining nutrients from hosts and manipulating host developments for their survival and multiplication. Two effectors, the homologs of SAP11 and SAP54/PHYL1 identified in 'Ca. P. aurantifolia' NCHU2014, have the biochemical activities in destabilizing host transcription factors, which can explain the disease symptoms observed in infected plants. Taken together, this study provides the first complete genome available for the 16SrII phytoplasmas and contributes to the understanding of phytoplasma pathogenicity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Choon Meng Tan
- Institute of Biochemistry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Yu-Chen Lin
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Jian-Rong Li
- Institute of Genomics and Bioinformatics, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Yuan-Yu Chien
- Institute of Biochemistry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Chien-Jui Wang
- Institute of Biochemistry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Lin Chou
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
| | - Cheng-Wei Wang
- Institute of Biochemistry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Yi-Ching Chiu
- Institute of Biochemistry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan.,Ph.D. Program in Microbial Genomics, National Chung Hsing University and Academia Sinica, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Chih-Horng Kuo
- Institute of Plant and Microbial Biology, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan.,Ph.D. Program in Microbial Genomics, National Chung Hsing University and Academia Sinica, Taichung, Taiwan.,Institute of Biotechnology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
| | - Jun-Yi Yang
- Institute of Biochemistry, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan.,Ph.D. Program in Microbial Genomics, National Chung Hsing University and Academia Sinica, Taichung, Taiwan.,Institute of Biotechnology, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan.,Advanced Plant Biotechnology Center, National Chung Hsing University, Taichung, Taiwan
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